A meaningful day for 'Merdeka'

KUALA LUMPUR: This man has a very unique name, a name derived from the cry of "Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka" (independence) when the nation gained independence at midnight on Aug 31, 1957.
Meet Merdeka Osman, who was born 15 minutes after the flag of Malaya was raised to replace the Union Jack, marking the end of colonisation by foreign powers that spanned almost half a millennia.
The Merdeka chorus that reverberated throughout the land inspired his father Osman Mat Saman to name him Merdeka.
Thus, Merdeka celebrates both his birthday and the National Day on every Aug 31.
While the name is a very meaningful one, it is also an awkward one for a person.
In his early years he was disappointed with the name stated on the birth certificate and the identity card as he was often made fun of by his friends.
All that changed as he grew up and realised how significant his name was.
"I'm very proud of my name Merdeka. It is a very meaningful name," said the retired dental assistant.
His father's patriotic fervour is the one that contributed to his name after his mother Safiah Bakar gave birth to him on the auspicious moment.
Like his father who was also among those who clamoured for independence, Merdeka too has deep patriotic feel for the country.
So there is no reason for anyone to be surprised that there is a Jalur Gemilang always flying at his home in Santan, Perlis.
His unique name always makes into the list of invitees for the Perlis level and national level national day celebrations.
"I am always part of the national day celebration itinerary. During my birthdays the Jalur Gemilang can be seen flying everywhere, there will be parades and Malaysians get a public holiday," said the man whose favourite pastime is fishing.
And definitely Merdeka is not alone in sharing the pride of having a name that is synonymous with the historic date.
There are others with Merdeka in their names too, including Lee Li Meng @ Merdeka Lee, a housewife from Kedah who is proud of her name.
Apart from the two, a fisherman in Penang, Mohd Merdeka Ismail, is also proud of his name.
Merdeka Lee and Mohd Merdeka too are proud of the fact their birth dates coincided with the independence day of Aug 31, 1957.
The trio are among the many born on the historic day and named after the historic occasion.
In Sarawak, there are two persons who go by the name of Malaysia, as their birth date coincided with proclamation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.
They are Malaysia Sahat, the man from Kota Samarahan and Malaysia Yap, the woman who now resides in Petra Jaya.
They all stand testament to the two historic events in the country's history. – Bernama